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Trade counterparts in North Dakota assured Manitoba businesses this week that the imposition of injurious trade tariffs against Canada is just part of a negotiation process.

"They were really sort of optimistic in regards to that. This is a negotiating tactic that is going on right now," said Chuck Davidson, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president.

That’s despite North Dakota being one of the states most vulnerable to a tariff fight, with 85 per cent of its exports going to Canada.

North Dakota exports to Manitoba are in the $1-billion range, while Manitoba exports about half that amount back to the state.

The Manitoba and Saskatchewan chambers travelled to North Dakota’s capital, Bismarck, on Monday and Tuesday to visit various business groups and government officials.

The Canadian chambers initiated the meetings.

They met with the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, as well as chambers for Grand Forks, Minot and Bismarck and the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

The state chambers oppose the tariffs and are most concerned about the impact on food and manufacturing exports to Canada. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also come out against the tariffs.

"They view their trade relationship with us as important as we do with them. We both want to see solutions sooner rather than later," Davidson said.

But the outcry against the tariffs has not been especially loud — and little wonder.

The North Dakota economy is sizzling right now. Measures by the Trump Administration, including deregulation and tax cuts, have lifted the United States economy to a strong economic growth rate of four per cent.

"North Dakota has more jobs than people. An estimated 30,000 jobs are unfilled right now," Davidson said.

Cargill recently closed a malting plant in Jamestown and the entire staff found new employment within a week, Davidson said.

North Dakota officials told the Canadian delegation that if a federal election was held tomorrow, Trump would be re-elected. "They’re very supportive of the measures taken to stimulate the business climate," Davidson said.

North Dakota is in the midst of its own deregulation. The process for approving a new corporation currently takes up to eight weeks. The state government is getting that down to a matter of hours, Davidson said.

"That’s unbelievable," Davidson said.

The U.S. started the trade skirmish by slapping massive tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada. Canada responded with $16.6 billion in tariffs against U.S. imports.

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Another reason for the calm across the border is the tariffs were only imposed a couple of weeks ago and their impact is yet to be fully determined.

"It’s too early for that to play through," Davidson said. "There doesn’t seem to be any short-term pain right now, but what (North Dakota chambers) do sense is the same thing we sense with businesses, that there’s a real level of uncertainty."

However, any resolution to the trade dispute isn’t likely to come before November. U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he doesn’t want to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) again until after the mid-term elections, which are six months away. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested.

North Dakota Chamber president Arik Spencer did not return phone and email messages.

Davidson described the meetings that wrapped up Tuesday morning as "enlightening" and said the Manitoba and Saskatchewan chambers hope to make the forum with their American counterparts an annual event.

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